Sunday, February 24, 2008

The entire article can be found here. However the salient part of the article is this statement by the Secretary of State:

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was time for Serbs to accept that Kosovo is no longer theirs. She also suggested it was time to drop centuries of grievance and sentimentality in the Balkans.

"We believe that the resolution of Kosovo's status will really, finally, let the Balkans begin to put its terrible history behind it," Dr. Rice said Friday. "I mean, after all, we're talking about something from 1389 – 1389! It's time to move forward."

The Bush administration clearly does not get it. The nail in the coffin of my support for the Iraq War (tenuous as it was) was the realization that the same foreign policy and rhetoric were being used to justify Iraq as they were in Kosovo (minus the non-existent WMDs). My thanks to John from Notes from a Common-Place Book for the lead.

How many of them, Mother Serbia,Loved your nameBecause of the salt of Orthodoxy in itFor them may the Lord give,For their works of faith, hope, and love,To see, to see You,Christ on Mount Tabor,With Peter and the sons of Zebedee

Not of this world, violated by evil,Not of this age or land passing away,You are a part of the heavenly JerusalemYou name resonates like a prayer

How many of them, mother Serbia,Sang songs, songs of youBecause of the cross that shines for hope in you,And gives strength to your children,To lift themselves in prayer,Above the mud and ashes,And in Your name to touch,The face of Your heavenly abode.

Not of this world, violated by evil,Not of this age or land passing away,You are a part of the heavenly JerusalemYou name resonates like a prayer

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Fall of the Serbian Empire

From Jerusalem, the holy city, Flying came a swift grey bird, a falcon, And he carried in his beak a swallow.

But behold and see! ’Tis not a falcon, ’Tis the holy man of God, Elias, And he does not bear with him a swallow, But a letter from God’s Holy Mother. Lo, he bears the letter to Kossovo, Drops it on the Tsar’s knees from the heavens, And thus speaks the letter to the monarch: “Tsar Lazar, thou Prince of noble lineage, What wilt thou now choose to be thy kingdom? Say, dost thou desire a heav’nly kingdom, Or dost thou prefer an earthly kingdom? If thou should’st now choose an earthly kingdom, Knights may girdle swords and saddle horses, Tighten saddle-girths and ride to battle— You will charge the Turks and crush their army! But if thou prefer a heav’nly kingdom, Build thyself a church upon Kossovo, Let not the foundations be of marble, Let them be of samite and of scarlet.... And to all thy warriors and their leaders Thou shalt give the sacraments and orders, For thine army shall most surely perish, And thou too, shalt perish with thine army.”

When the Tsar had read the holy letter, Ponder’d he, and ponder’d in this manner: “Mighty God, what now shall this my choice be! Shall I choose to have a heav’nly kingdom? Shall I choose to have an earthly kingdom? If I now should choose an earthly kingdom, Lo, an earthly kingdom is but fleeting, But God’s kingdom shall endure for ever.”

And the Tsar he chose a heav’nly kingdom, And he built a church upon Kossovo,— Did not bring foundation stones of marble But he brought pure samite there and scarlet; Summon’d there the Patriarch of Serbia, Summon’d there with him the twelve archbishops. Thus he gave the warriors and their leaders Holy Sacrament and battle orders.

But no sooner gave the Prince his orders Than the Turkish hordes swept on Kossovo. And the Jug Bogdan leads there his army, With his sons, the Jugovitch—nine brothers, His nine sons like nine grey keen-eyed falcons, Each of them commands nine thousand warriors, And the Jug Bogdan commands twelve thousand [1].

With the Turks they fight there and they struggle, And they smite and slay there seven pashas. When the eighth advances to the battle Then doth Jug Bogdan, the old knight, perish, With his sons the Jugovitch—nine brothers, His nine sons like nine grey keen-eyed falcons, And with them doth perish all their army.

Moved their army three Mernyachevichi:BanUglyesha and VoyvodaGoïko, And the third, the mighty King Vukáshin; And with each were thirty thousand warriors, With the Turks do they there fight and struggle, And they smite and slay eight Turkish pashas. When the ninth advances to the battle Then there perish two Mernyachevichi, Ban Uglyesha and Voyvoda Goïko; Many ugly wounds has King Vukáshin, Turks and horses wade in blood above him, And with him doth perish all his army.

Moved his army then Voyvoda Stefan; And with him are many mighty warriors, Many mighty warriors—sixty thousand. With the Turks do they there fight and struggle, And they smite and slay nine Turkish pashas. When the tenth advances to the battle, There doth perish the Voyvoda Stefan, And with him doth perish all his army.

Then advances Tsar Lazar the Glorious, With him moves a might host of Serbians, Seven and seventy thousand chosen warriors. They disperse the Turks upon Kossovo, No time had the Turks to look upon them, Still less time had they to stem the onslaught; Tsar Lazar and all his mighty warriors There had overwhelm’d the unbelievers, But—the curse of God be on the traitor, On Vuk Brankovitch,—he left his kinsman, He deserted him upon Kossovo: And the Turks o’erwhelmed Lazar the Glorious, And the Tsar fell on the field of battle; And with him did perish all his army, Seven and seventy thousand chosen warriors.

All was done with honour, all was holy, God’s will was fulfilled upon Kossovo.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Farm life offers the complete satisfaction of knowing that each day's work has been truly productive, a joy scarce in present times. Yet strangely enough, the early American farmer's greatest satisfaction came not from his daily chores, but in his ability to make provisions for the future and an awareness of his part in fashioning the nation to come. He equipped his home with far heavier foundations than were necessary. He built his barn to last for centuries and he laid a rail fence to survive ten generations. He built stone walls that have lasted so long that they are now a permanent part of the landscape. None of these things are done now, nor do we often consider doing them. (boldface mine)